Touhou Sky Arena: Matsuri Climax is the latest entry in the Touhou Sky Arena series, developed by Area Zero. With its vibrant and colorful visuals, it immediately grabs the player's attention. The character designs are detailed and stylish, capturing the essence of the Touhou universe. However, the game's visuals are not enough to make up for its shortcomings.
The gameplay in Touhou Sky Arena: Matsuri Climax revolves around fast-paced battles between characters from the Touhou universe. The controls are responsive and easy to grasp, allowing players to quickly jump into the action. Each character has their own unique playstyle and abilities, adding some depth to the combat. However, the balancing issues and lack of variety in movesets make the fighting feel repetitive and shallow after a few matches.
One of the biggest frustrations with Matsuri Climax is the lack of single-player content. The game offers a story mode, but it is disappointingly short and lacks any meaningful narrative. The absence of a proper arcade mode or any substantial offline content makes the game feel incomplete. The online multiplayer, while present, suffers from connectivity issues and a small player base, resulting in long matchmaking times and laggy matches.
The game's soundtrack is a standout feature, with catchy tunes that perfectly complement the frantic battles. The voice acting is also top-notch, further immersing players into the world of Touhou. However, the audio alone cannot mask the underlying issues and lack of content.
Touhou Sky Arena: Matsuri Climax has the potential to be a great fighting game within the Touhou universe, but it falls short in several areas. The lack of content, repetitive gameplay, and connectivity issues hinder the overall experience. However, the beautiful visuals and solid mechanics provide a glimmer of hope for future iterations. With some substantial updates and improvements, Matsuri Climax could become a must-play for Touhou fans and fighting game enthusiasts alike.
Overall, I would give Touhou Sky Arena: Matsuri Climax a rating of 5 out of 10. It has its moments, but the lackluster content and frustrating gameplay prevent it from reaching its full potential.
